Nate

iTrader: (2)

Lets say I have never felt threatened by BM's , Be it M3's , Alpina B10 Bi-turbo's or your modest 323's , I have experienced all of these first hand in the traffic light grand-prix .... Though the B10 (I would love one of these) was right with me ,I indicated and we both stopped and had a chat, as being slighly in front, I didn't know what BM it was .

Nate.

fussey pucker

m8,i had a 3281 sport thought it was the nuts, fercking hated scoobs till i drove one , then i bought one
say no more


[Edited by fussey pucker - 1/7/2004 9:43:32 PM]

casper555

deedee does it really matter whose cars the fastest at your age you need to slow down mate ...lol you drive the car you want an the bloke across the road drives what he likes .. at the end of the day your happy with what you got arent you !!!!

Mad Gypsy

I was the same, I hated scoobs....til I drove one (Type R). I bought it the same day

DEEDEE

Oh no Casper its just the kids doing my head in, I wouldnt be surprised if the father had said anything.

scooby-si

paul u wish m8, get your name down for the scooby shoot out m8

bartmanuk

some reports do say that for the astra but others give different figures:0-60 in 7.4secs (although had had mine at closer to 7-7.1 secs) 156bhp at 6000rpm, and 150lb ft of torque at 4800rpm. That gives the astra a power to weight ratio of 155bhp per tonne.

BM

DJNafey

Actually v5 man, my "racing gear change" in my old Mini is very good as well - it's surprising what you can get out of them with the right gearbox

Seriously though DeeDee, your neighbour doesn't know what he's talking about. I've no doubt he could keep up in certain conditions (like a traffic jam) but he's not quicker. And, if he's got an auto, please do go round and laugh in his face. I drove my boss's 325i auto for 4 hours down to Plymouth once. I couldn't believe how quick it WASN'T - not a patch on my standard WRX. Maybe I just wasn't used to the car (yeah, ok) but I would have felt safer overtaking in my tuned up 1979 Mini. And it had just cost her 25 grand - I think she was a bit put out by my disappointment, lol.

[Edited by DJNafey - 1/8/2004 1:56:25 AM]

logiclee

Not at all.

The old Mondeo is about the same weight as the 323 (1360kg), they both have a 2.5 6 cylinder engines that push out around 170bhp.

TopGear and WhatCar both quote the 323 over 8 seconds 0-62 with a 144mph top speed. Mondeo ST24 and GhiaX V6 does 0-62 in 8.2 with a 140mph top end. About the same then.
The old shape Vectra is a tad quicker but can only find specs for the 2.6. (0-62 8.0, 143mph top speed)

Cheers
Lee

[Edited by logiclee - 1/8/2004 4:37:37 AM]

logiclee

Top Gear's December 1998 review of the 323.

Firstly, an apology. I have now been sitting here, attempting to write this minitest for approximately three hours and 47 minutes. My head is pounding, I feel sick and I wish I hadn't had that final pint last night. Throughout the course of this minitest you may well have to excuse me while I rush off to (delete as appropriate) throw up/take Nurofen/ drink strong coffee/remember another hideously embarrassing incident. So, in advance, I'm sorry.

Anyway, the BMW 323i. The first thing to point out is that although the name suggests otherwise, the 323i is in fact powered by a 2.5 rather than a 2.3-litre engine. Power output is a healthy 170bhp at 5,500rpm and it will do the sprint to 62mph in eight seconds before hitting its not inconsiderable 144mph maximum speed. A meaty engine note greets the ears at low revs and the engine is keen to pull good and hard, no matter which gear you're in. The gearchange itself is the usual precise, if slightly remote-feeling, cog-swapper that we've come to expect from BMW. Excuse me for a moment, I'm feeling a little bit off-colour...

...Diced carrots well and truly despatched, it's time to talk about the handling. Well, the 3-Series has now grown up and got sensible. Whereas the old car felt pin sharp and sporty, the new car feels less agile and more comfort-orientated. The ride is excellent, but show it a bend and there's more body roll and a tad less response than you would expect from 'the ultimate driving machine'. The old 3-Series urged you to press on at every opportunity, but the newer car is happiest when it's cruising. Treat it like a mini 7-Series and you won't be disappointed. Now, where did I put those pain killers? The headache tablets might not fall easily to hand, but the controls on the inside of the BMW do. Room inside is much better than on the old car, too, and on top of that, it's a high tech tour de force.

As well as the usual array of electric everything (except the seats, which will cost you an extra £1,000), the BMW comes with ASC+T (Automatic Stability Control and Traction) which sorts your brakes and your power mid-corner should you get it wrong. If you still manage to crash, you'll be pleased to know that there's an arsenal of airbags located at various strategic points throughout the car, including the door pillars and the rear of the car - though again these will cost you extra. Hang on a sec, time for a strong mug of coffee...

...And finally, there's the price. At £24,745, on the face of it at least, the BMW seems reasonably good value. But to bring it up to the rather luxurious level of our test car, prepare to dig deeper. Let's see, there's metallic paint, rear side airbags, sunroof, cross-spoke alloy wheels, automatic air re-circulation, BMW sports seats, sports steering wheel, sports suspension, navigation system, wood trim, leather and electric seats. That's £7,325, making a grand total of £32,070. Not exactly cheap, but still slightly less money than I spent on beer last night. Oh no, I've just remembered what happened next...







What Car's quoted figures.

Body type
Saloon
Number of doors
4
Number of seats
5
Engine (cc/type)
2494/6
Fuel type
Unleaded
Max power (bhp/rpm)
170/5500
Max torque (lb ft/rpm) 181/3500
Engine position F
Braking distance (m) no data/no data
Driven wheels Rear
Length (mm) 4470
Width (mm) 1753
Height (mm) 1422
Manufacturer's figures
0-60mph (sec)
8.6
Max speed (mph)
144

Ownership data
Urban mpg
22.2
Extra urban mpg
40.9
Combined mpg
31.4
Tank capacity (gallons)
13.9
CO2 rating (g/km)
215
Insurance group
15
Typical insurance quote (£)
511



Yes I am bored this morning.

Lee


[Edited by logiclee - 1/8/2004 6:05:47 AM]